α Universe Pet Portrait Competition

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Perfect Pet Portraits

Many of us are lucky enough to have pets and these furry friends who share our homes can make excellent photographic subjects. Sony’s award-winning Real-time Eye AF technology now works with animals as well as humans* and makes it easy to capture incredible pet portraits.

Take part in this contest by sharing your pet or animal portrait photos through Instagram. The contest entry will be valid from photos posted on Instagram from 1st May 2020 to 14th June 2020.

Three winning images will be chosen by a panel of photographic experts and the prizes are:

*Camera software version 3.0 or later for α7R III / α7 III, version 6.0 or later for α9, and version 2.0 or later for α6400 is required. See details on the Sony support page.

Terms and Conditions:

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY

1. The promoter of the Sony α Universe Instagram Pet Photography Photo Contest (“Contest”) is Sony Europe B.V., The Heights, Brooklands, Weybridge, Surrey, KT13 0XW, United Kingdom (“Sony”). The Contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Instagram. Instagram is hereby completely released of all liability by each participant in this Contest.

2. The Contest is open to individuals aged over 18 who have a personal Instagram account and are resident in Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Switzerland, Poland, Norway, Austria, Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, Portugal, Finland, Greece, Romania, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Ireland, Czech Republic, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia and Turkey. (“Qualifying Countries”). Employees of Sony group companies and their family members are not eligible to enter.

3. The Contest will start on 1st May 2020 and will end at midnight on 14th June 2020 ("Contest Period")

4. To enter the Contest you must complete the following steps:

Step 1: follow the @alphauniversebysony.eu Instagram account.Step 2: upload to your Instagram account a photograph taken by you personally using a Sony Alpha series or RX series camera and add the following hashtag, depending on your country of residence:

List of valid country hashtags:

Germany:

#AlphaPetDE

UK:

#AlphaPetUK

France:

#AlphaPetFR

Italy:

#AlphaPetIT

Spain:

#AlphaPetES

Netherlands:

#AlphaPetNL

Switzerland:

#AlphaPetCH

Poland:

#AlphaPetPL

Norway:

#AlphaPetNO

Austria:

#AlphaPetAT

Sweden:

#AlphaPetSE

Belgium:

#AlphaPetBE

Denmark:

#AlphaPetDK

Portugal:

#AlphaPetPT

Finland:

#AlphaPetFI

Greece:

#AlphaPetGR

Romania:

#AlphaPetRO

Estonia:

#AlphaPetEE

Lithuania:

#AlphaPetLT

Latvia:

#AlphaPetLV

Hungary:

#AlphaPetHU

Bulgaria:

#AlphaPetBG

Ireland:

#AlphaPetIE

Czech Republic:

#AlphaPetCZ

Croatia:

#AlphaPetHR

Slovenia:

#AlphaPetSI

Slovakia:

#AlphaPetSK

Turkey:

#AlphaPetTR

5. Submitted photos must have been taken using a Sony Alpha series or RX series camera. Your Instagram account must be set to public in order to participate in the competition. Once posted, your photo must remain on your Instagram account until the end of the Contest Period set out at section 3 above, otherwise your entry may not be acknowledged.

6. By submitting photos in accordance with section 4 above and entering the Contest, participants will be deemed to have accepted and to be bound by the Contest rules and these terms and conditions. Any further entry instructions given by Sony and posted on this webpage or @alphauniversebysony.eu Instagram account will form part of the Contest rules.

7. Subject to section 9 below, the photos should be in the style of Pet photography that takes advantage of the features of your Sony Alpha or RX camera. There is no limit on the number of photos that you can upload to participate, but each photo must be unique and comply with these terms and conditions.

8. Photo(s) that are modified with any image editing software or equivalent programs are accepted. Participant guarantees that photo enhancement was made via use of legally acquired software.

9. Participants are prohibited from tagging or entering any defamatory, libellous, obscene, pornographic, profane, threatening, or unlawful material (both in respect of photos and any associated comments/tags) or any material that could constitute or encourage conduct that would be considered a criminal offense or give rise to civil liability, or otherwise violate any law or Instagram’s terms of use. Participants may not submit photos that include watermarks, photo credits or any third party brands.

10. Sony will review all eligible entries submitted through Instagram during the Contest Period and the photos will be judged, at Sony’s sole discretion, based on the level of creativity, originality and visual/emotional impact of the image. A shortlist of entries will be selected by Sony on the basis of the preceding criteria and the final decision on winning entries will be made by an independent panel of photographic experts whose decisions will be final and binding.

11. The participant whose image has been selected as the winning entry will be contacted using Instagram Direct from the @alphauniversebysony.eu Instagram account and will be required to submit the EXIF data relating to the selected photo to demonstrate compliance with the entry requirements. Sony will subsequently follow up with the potential winner via email with instructions on how to claim the prize. If the potential winner does not respond and comply with the instructions in the initial Instagram Direct message within five (5) days, or if the data reveals that the photo does not comply with these terms and conditions, the participant will not be eligible to receive the prize and an alternative winner will be selected. A maximum of three (3) alternate winners will be contacted.

12. Three winning images will be chosen by a panel of photographic experts and the prizes are:

13. No cash or credit alternative is available. Prizes are not exchangeable or transferable. Should the prize become unavailable for any reason, Sony reserves the right to provide a substitute prize of equivalent value.

14. The winner shall be fully and solely responsible for any individual tax liability relating to receipt of the prize(s) and, by accepting their prize, winners agree to release Sony from any such liability.

15. The winners will be contacted via the @alphauniversebysony.eu Instagram account by the end of June 2020 and the prizes will be sent out by the end of July 2020, at no cost to the winner. Prizes will only be delivered to addresses in the Qualifying Countries listed in section 2 above.

16. By entering photos into the Contest, the participant warrants that: (1) the photos comply fully with the contest rules and these terms and conditions; (2) the photos are original photos taken by the participant using a Sony Alpha series or RX series camera; (3) the participant owns all rights (including copyright) in the photo(s); and (4) the photos do not infringe the rights of any third party (including the right of publicity, privacy or any other equivalent rights of a person) and that permission has been obtained to use the image of any person included in any of the submitted photos. The participant acknowledges that the submission of images from third party sources (including, for example, other websites or blogs) is prohibited and use of such photos without permission may constitute infringement of copyright.

17. Entries may be excluded or prizes rescinded if Sony reasonably determines that there has been an infringement of the entry requirements, these terms and conditions or public order and morality.

18. The participant grants Sony an irrevocable, non-exclusive, free of charge licence to copy, modify, edit, adapt, publish, reproduce, display, distribute or otherwise use the submitted photos in any online media in Europe for the period following entry in the Contest until 14th June 2022 (including a right to sub-license to other Sony group companies). In particular, the participant acknowledges and agrees that submitted photos may be published on Sony Group websites and social media accounts and that Sony may edit or alter the photos (e.g. cropping or addition of image, music or sound effects). Any other use of the photos will be subject agreement with the participant. The participant warrants that it has the rights necessary to grant the licence set out in this clause. The participant agrees to waive all moral rights in the use of the submitted photos.

19. Sony accepts no liability in respect of the use of publication of submitted photos and the participant shall be solely responsible for resolving any disputes with third parties relating to the photos they have submitted, at their own cost. The participant agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Sony, its affiliate companies, directors, employees and agents from and against any claims, damages, losses, costs or expenses of any kind howsoever arising in connection with his/her participation in this Contest, including the use by Sony of submitted photos and the participant’s acceptance or use of the prizes.

20. Sony makes no representations or warranties whether express or implied, regarding this Contest or the prizes, other than as expressly set out in these terms and conditions. Sony shall not be liable for any technical errors or errors on the Instagram platform that may prevent a participant from entering the Contest or from receiving or sending direct messages. Sony does not seek to exclude liability for death or personal injury arising from its own negligence.

21. Participants’ personal information will be processed in accordance with Sony’s privacy policy available on https://www.sony.ie/eu/pages/privacy/en_IE/privacy_overview.html and will only be used for the purpose of the administration and publicity of the Contest, including for communications relating to the Contest, management of entries, dispatch of prizes, display of winning entries, Sony marketing and promotional activities and for purposes incidental to these activities. For winning entries, Sony may publish your name, country and camera information unless you object to such information being published.

22. All personal information provided by participants will be destroyed or deleted after the Contest is finished, except in the case of prize winners and participants whose photos will be used.

23. Failure by Sony to enforce any of these rules or terms shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

24. Unless local law in the participant’s country of residence provides otherwise, the Contest, including the entry requirements and these terms and conditions are governed by English law any dispute will be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

1Features and specifications are subject to change without prior notice.

2For information about the external power supply bundled with the product (when applicable), please refer to the link regarding information on ecodesign requirements for external power supplies in accordance with the COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) 2019/1782 of 1 October 2019 laying down ecodesign requirements for external power supplies pursuant to Directive 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Commission Regulation (EC) No 278/2009 <a href="https://www.sony.ie/electronics/eco/environmental-management">https://www.sony.ie/electronics/eco/environmental-management</a>